Composites Engineer

We're working with a venture-backed defence technology start-up that is building a highly complex hardware capability from the ground up. The business is transitioning from early-stage engineering into a critical phase of scale, including the development of a new production facility and the expansion of engineering and operational teams. The role plays a key part in the design, analysis and manufacture of composite structures for solid rocket motor applications across defence and strategic aerospace programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop composite structures for solid rocket motor and propulsion-related applications
• Perform structural calculations and sizing of composite components
• Conduct FEM simulations to assess loads, stresses, and failure modes in composite materials
• Support the industrialisation of composite designs, working closely with manufacturing and test teams
• Drive design-for-manufacture principles from early development through to production

What we're looking for:

• Strong understanding of composite materials and composite structural design
• Experience with finite element analysis (FEM) in any commercial or academic software package
• Solid grasp of load paths, structural behaviour, and failure mechanisms in composites
• Experience in rocketry, propulsion systems or student rocketry teams is valued

Experience level can range from strong university and student project experience to engineers with 3+ years of hands-on experience.